San Diego’s own Ray Smith, defensive tackle, from Cathedral Catholic HS. John Quackenbos photo.

Hard to know which team’s fans were more surprised when BC and Clemson entered the 4th quarter tied 7-7 in yesterday’s game in “Death Valley.” Easier to guess whose fans were more worried, as #2 Clemson faced the possibility, at least, of their first defeat of the season, and to a 34-point underdog, in front of 80,525 on Family Weekend.

Both Clemson and BC, however, returned to form as the 4th quarter moved along. The Tigers blanked the Eagles over the last 15 minutes and added 27 points, scoring touchdowns on 4 consecutive possessions. Final score: Clemson 34, BC 7.

In that final quarter, Clemson had 11 first downs to BC’s 2, 164 yards rushing compared to BC’s 18 yards, and 49 yards passing to BC’s 19 yards. The Tigers ran 27 plays for 213 yards (7.9 yards per play) in the quarter, while the Eagles had the ball for 13 plays, gaining 37 yards (2.8 yards per play).

If the first three quarters were nearly a standoff, at least on the scoreboard, the 4th quarter was the rout anticipated by many. Over the whole game, Clemson ran 84 plays for 482 yards, 342 of them on the ground. BC had 66 plays for 238 yards, 141 through the air.

BC quarterback Anthony Brown was 14-30 with 1 interception. Leading rusher for the Eagles was A.J. Dillon, who gained 57 yards on 18 carries and scored BC’s touchdown on a 1-yard run. BC falls to 1-3, 0-2 in the ACC. Game next Saturday at home against Central Michigan.